Command-Aire

Command-Aire

Formerly	Arkansas Aircraft Corporation
Industry	Aerospace
Predecessor	Arkansas Aircraft Company
Founded	1926;99 years ago (1926)
Founders	Major John Carroll Cone W. F. Moody
Defunct	1931;94 years ago (1931)
Fate	Bankrupt
Headquarters	Little Rock, Arkansas , United States
Key people	Albert Vollmecke Robert B. Snowden
Products	Aircraft

Command-Aire 5C3 N997E

The Command-Aire was an American aircraft manufacturer from the late 1920s and early 1930s based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

History

The company was founded on August 26, 1926 by Major J. Carroll Cone and W. F. Moody as the Arkansas Aircraft Corporation. ^{[1] [2]} Aircraft were built in the former Climber Motor Company Factory at 1823 East 17th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. ^[3] After a failed attempt by their first engineer to produce their design, they attempted to arrange the purchase of a production licence for the Heinkel HD 40, and when that fell through they hired a Heinkel engineer, Albert Vollmecke, who would be responsible for the rest of the company's designs. ^[2] In September 1928, the company was purchased by Robert B. Snowden and the name was changed to Command-Aire. With rapidly declining sales due to the Great Depression, and with no acceptable offers for a merger, the company declared bankruptcy in 1931 and its remaining assets were sold off. ^[1]

Aircraft

Model name	1st flight	ATC #	No. built	Type
Glider [4]	1928	n/a	1	glider (NX3895)
3C3 [5]	1928	ATC 53, 2-201	178 or 179	three seat biplane
4C3	1929	n/a	1	Prototype two-seat biplane
5C3 [6]	1929	ATC 184, 2-251	63 or 64	three seat biplane
BS-14	1930	ATC 2-204	1	Prototype two-seat training biplane
BS-16	1930	n/a	2	Prototype three-seat training biplane
MR-1 Little Rocket	1930	n/a	1	Single-seat racing monoplane

References

Citations

1. Lock, Robert G. "Development of Arkansas Aircraft Corporation Model 3C3" (PDF). OX5 Aviation Pioneers. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
2. Smith, 1992, p.224-246
3. "Command-Aire". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
4. Lock, Robert G. (February 2010). "My Friend Albert Vollmecke Part II". Vintage Airplane. Vol. 38, no. 2. EAA Vintage Aircraft Association. pp. 19–24.
5. Juptner, 1962, p.139-140
6. Juptner, 1964, p.242-244

Bibliography

• Juptner, Joseph P. (1962). U.S. Civil Aircraft Vol. 1 (ATC 1 - 100). Los Angeles, CA: Aero Publishers. pp. 139–140. LCCN   62-15967.
• Juptner, Joseph P. (1964). U.S. Civil Aircraft Vol. 2 (ATC 101 - 200). Los Angeles, CA: Aero Publishers. pp. 242–244. LCCN   62-15967.
• Smith, William M. (1992). "The Right Plane at the Wrong Time: A Brief History of the Command-Aire Aircraft Company". The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. 51 (3): 224–246. doi:10.2307/40023098. JSTOR   40023098.